Home Box Office my butt.

March 17, 2008 1:08 PM

Are any of the cable pay channels (HBO, Showtime etc) worth paying for anymore?

It seems like most of them just show the same movie or 2 movies over and over and over. I recently cancelled HBO due to this and turned on Showtime. In the last week there has not been a single time that I did not turn on my tv to see Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah on one and sometimes two Showtime channels. Why would I pay for this?
I'd like to have a channel that shows newer movies, but the same one over and over?
Should I just cancel the pay channel and stick to Netflix? I enjoy some of the "On Demand" features. At least I did with HBO.
Showtime has not changed their On Demand movies in over 2 months.

posted by nougat to media & arts (24 comments total)

Yeah, the only reason I have HBO is for the on demand stuff, but the movies are usually pretty crappy, and we only watch them when we don't have a netflix movie we feel like watching. Sometimes the shows are ok, but since sopranos is over, I haven't seen much worth keeping it on for. Speaking of, I should probably go cancel it. Thanks for the reminder!
posted by Grither at 1:13 PM on March 17

I find that the value I place on the premium channels depends on there being a recurring show on them that I enjoy (eg. The Wire on HBO, Weeds on Showtime, etc). If it were just for movies, I don't know if I'd bother getting them, personally. Just my opinion, but, well, I guess that's what you're looking for. When valuing the on-demand features, also consider the television programs that are made available.
posted by inigo2 at 1:14 PM on March 17

I'll also add, for what it's worth, that with some of the cable providers (personal experience with Comcast) you can get a free month+ preview of various premium channels, if you just call and ask.
posted by inigo2 at 1:16 PM on March 17

The answer to this question is purely subjective. What kind of response here will change your mind? If a hundred people come in and say, "Yes it's worth it!", will you keep HBO because you're a lemming or will you cancel it anyway because you've already made up your mind and just want to have a collective grumbling about how much it's cramping your style?
posted by mkultra at 1:16 PM on March 17 [2 favorites]

IFC, Sundance, and Starz show better movies.
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:17 PM on March 17

I have pretty much all of the pay channels from DirecTV. The only thing that makes them marginally worth it for me is that I have TiVo, so I can record movies that are on at a weird time and watch them later. I can also pull up a big alphabetical list of all of the movies that will be on in the next month or so and pick out ones that I want to record.

They all do tend to show the same movies over and over again though. For example, I can't count how many times I've seen Back To The Future Part III on the list, and as you said Last Holiday is on constantly now for some reason. After a while you've seen all of the decent movies on all of the channels and there's not much else new worth watching. A Netflix subscription is probably a better deal.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:33 PM on March 17

FWIW, we've never found any of the movie channels to be worth the extra cost, especially when you consider how freaking expensive cable is already.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:34 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]

Should I just cancel the pay channel and stick to Netflix?

Yes.
posted by desuetude at 1:36 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]

I pay for a package that give me HBO and Showtime in HD - and frankly, we NEVER watch any movies on them.

But it's totally worth the price for the original programming. For instance, last night we started watching the excellent "John Adams" on HBO and later this month the 2nd season of "The Tudors" starts on Showtime.
posted by cptnrandy at 1:37 PM on March 17

Should I just cancel the pay channel and stick to Netflix?

Yes, if you like picking your own movies. The appeal to some people of the premium channels is that someone else is picking them for you. Other than that, Netflix all the way.
posted by Melismata at 1:38 PM on March 17

With HBO, I canceled it as soon as the Wire ended. When I called to cancel, they offered me a package with Showtime for a year for nearly $20 less than it would cost to just drop HBO, so sometimes it's worth carrying it just to save money.
posted by drezdn at 1:44 PM on March 17

We get HBO and Cinemax, and I think it's reasonably worthwhile.

But, what I like about it is the slow parade of older movies that I can watch in HD. I don't so much care whether the new thing is on, but Alien in 1080i? Awesome. I just wish they'd show 2.35:1 stuff in letterbox instead of, mostly, 16:9 pan-and-scan.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:47 PM on March 17

I haven't had cable for about five years now and life is good. Netflix has loads of stuff, series TV included. More and more material is becoming legally available online via services like Joost. Your local PBS station broadcasts interesting things. Books are also nice. Deny your local cable monopoly.
posted by mumkin at 1:48 PM on March 17 [2 favorites]

Nthing the on demand movies (or utilisation of "show later times" and a DVR) as a way of getting the best out of them.
posted by Artw at 1:53 PM on March 17

I haven't had cable for about five years now and life is good. Netflix has loads of stuff, series TV included. More and more material is becoming legally available online via services like Joost. Your local PBS station broadcasts interesting things. Books are also nice. Deny your local cable monopoly.

Quoted for me too!
posted by desuetude at 1:58 PM on March 17

I cancelled my Netflix subscription a while ago because there just aren't any movies worth renting. I still watch a lot of HBO - right now I am really into In Treatment and the new John Adams series started last night.
posted by thomas144 at 2:05 PM on March 17

Frankly I only have HBO for Curb Your Enthusiasm, now that the 6th season has ended I've considered canceling. But for (I think) 9 bucks a month split between me and 2 other roommates it doesn't seem too important.

I would not however keep any premium channel if I was not into one of their shows. As others have pointed out for movies you can't lose with Netflix.
posted by bmalicoat at 2:22 PM on March 17

I like Showtime for Penn & Teller, This American Life, Dexter, and other original programming. A few movies here and there.

Netflix, Red Box, iTunes rentals, On Demand, and XBox marketplace fulfill all my movie needs.

Whether the premiums are worth it any more... I think it depends on whether the original programming is something you will watch, but I wouldn't do it for the movies.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 2:28 PM on March 17

I'm guessing you don't like boxing since you didn't mention it, but that's a big reason I have HBO and Showtime.
posted by ALongDecember at 2:51 PM on March 17

I have Netflix. Like the numerous above posters, I'm canceling HBO because the Wire ended. The movie selection on HBO and Showtime is just too uneven to make it worth paying extra for.
posted by hazyspring at 3:16 PM on March 17

You don't need HBO or Showtime or anything else when you have bit torrent!!!!!
posted by delladlux at 5:43 PM on March 17

I would pay for Showtime just to get Dexter, Weeds and Californication.

HBO is worth it for Entourage and Conchords.
posted by charlesv at 8:26 PM on March 17

My cable company offers a package that consist of extended basic and On Demand. You are not required to subscribe to the premium channels such as HBO, Cinamax and Showtime. The On Demand carries all the HBO, Showtime, Flix and a few others movies and specials, sports, series (I adore the Tudors) etc. There is no extra charge once the movie moves to the premium line up. You may be a day later in viewing the sports and series, but for a $40 saving a month it's worth it to me. This fits my hectic schedule to a tee. I can watch the show when I want to.
posted by JujuB at 9:49 PM on March 17

I guess someone needs to pay for HBO so that they'll keep making original series, but I can't justify the cost.

For me, Netflix is HBO. It's also Showtime. I've never had the premium channels, and yet I've seen Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me, Weeds, and I'll be watching Rome, Dexter, and The Wire in the very near future. Sex and the City wasn't diminished just because the fashions were a little out of date.

If all of your friends also have HBO and you want to talk about "last night's episode", then that's one thing, but watching series a year later, they're just as amazing on DVD, and you don't have to suffer the frustration of waiting for the next episode.

Stick to Netflix, and if you really want to watch new movies, every time a movie is advertised on TV that looks more like a rental, you can add it to your queue and when it's out on DVD, you'll have it in your mailbox!
posted by explosion at 1:24 PM on March 18